Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, July 10, 1973
[00.54.04-MITCHELL avoids fully admitting that the PLUMBERS' activities were for political advantage and unrelated to National security] Mr. MITCHELL. They were obviously elements of that in connection With some of these activities But I think we would have to parcel it Out in details before you could make that determination Mr. THOMPSON. Would it be accurate to say your motivations were generally more out of political considerations at that time, in the midst of a campaign, than matters of national security? Mr. MITCHELL. Well, I would think if you would put the, aggregate Of the subject matters we are talking about it would have to be from that point of view than from national security. Mr. THOMPSON. All right, -Mr. Mitchell. you have testified on several points where you disagree with Mr. Magruder Or refute his to testimony. I would like to ask you a few points which I don't believe have been Covered yet concerning Mr. Dean's testimony. Dean testified that, "Within -the first few days." and I am quoting, [quoting DEAN'S statement] Within the first few days of my involvement in coverup a pattern had developed where he was carrying messages from Mitchell, Stans, Mardian to Ehrlichman and Haldeman and vice versa about how each quarter was handling the coverup and relevant information as to what was occurring. Is that an accurate statement, as far as you know, was Dean doing that? [00.55.11-MITCHELL can't quite testify that DEAN is wrong, so he picks at the details of DEAN'S testimony] Mr. MITCHELL. Well, I think that, Mr. Dean has, lumped together a number of things. I think Mr. Dean has testified that, the coverup had started on June 19 by the destruction of certain documents, by the concept of getting Mr. Colson out of the country, and a few other such things--Hunt, I am sorry, I am sorry there seems to be some. correlation there that I keep putting together [laughter] but it was Mr. Hunt that they were talking about. Mr. THOMPSON; What correlation do you put, together there? Mr. MITCHELL. The fact that Mr. Hunt worked for Mr. Colson. With the second part, about it with -which there was particularly at the time, frame in which he is talking about, there is considerable interest at that time as to, about, the money that had been through Barker's bank and the Ogarrio checks that were coming out that had come from Mexico, et cetera, et, cetera. This is the, subject matter and that particular -week in -which Mr. Stans and perhaps Mitchell and others were asking the, White House about. You will also, of course., recognize that the newspapers and Liddy himself, I believe, in the debriefing that, Mardian got, referred to the fact that, they had had CIA documents or materials, et Cetera, et, cetera. So there was very considerable interest in, was there any CIA involvement No. 1, in connection with the break-in, No, 2 in connection with the. personnel involved and, No. 3, in connection with this gentleman from Mexico City, Mr. Ogarrio I believe his name was, in Connection with his activities. [00.57.16] Mr. THOMPSON. You would not, categorize those things as part of a coverup would you? Mr. MITCHELL. Well, that is -what, I say, Mr. Dean, I think, has, put a blanket over activities that are, happening at that particular time, and talked about them as a coverup; this is where I started, I thought, my very lengthy answer. I am sorry to be so long. Mr. THOMPSON. That is all right. You have already stated that, Dean's testimony about a meeting of June 28, and I believe I am quoting him correctly, where he said: Mitchell asked me to get the approval of Ehrlichman and Haldeman to get Herb Kalmbach to raise the necessary money. Mr. MITCHELL. That is right. [00.57.52-MITCHELL tells a big LIE] Mr. THOMPSON. You stated that was false. Mr. MITCHELL. There was no such meeting, I made no such request ever. Mr. THOMPSON. With regard to asking--- Mr. MITCHELL. Ask Dean. to ask Haldeman to get, Kalmbach, to my recollection I have never made such a request. Mr. THOMPSON. Did you ever ask anyone to get, Kalmbach to raise money for these purposes? Mr. MITCHELL. Not to my recollection. As I recall this scenario that Mr. Kalmbach did, at the request of somebody, according to Dean, it was somebody in the White House, Kalmbach to Washington on the 28th and met, on the 29th with these people. He proceeded into this operation. There came a time in the fall, I believe it was September or October, where. because of adverse publicity or whatever it -Was he wanted out, and that, was the end of it, and I certainly don't, believe that I would have the audacity to ask him back into such an operation. [00.58.56]